Progetto Cultura

A focus on art and culture is a priority of the strategy driving activities supporting the community. The Progetto Cultura (Culture Project) is a strategic reference framework for the long-term planning of the Bank's cultural initiatives and has several objectives. On the one hand, it aims to encourage an increasingly large public to use its important artistic, architectural, publishing and documentary heritage, which is a result of the history and tradition of patronage of financial institutions that have become part of the Group. On the other, it aims to contribute to safeguarding Italy's cultural heritage. Promotion of the Bank's artistic heritage is implemented along various lines: the study and scientific cataloguing of works; restoration; projects for a permanent exhibition of some of the collections (Gallerie d’Italia in Milan, Naples and Vicenza); the planning and organisation of temporary exhibitions; support for scholarships for training opportunities and research for young people in partnership with universities; loaning works to temporary exhibitions.

In 2016, the programme for the conservation and public use of the Group's artistic heritage continued, with a view to disseminating and promoting historical, artistic and cultural knowledge. Restoration projects took place, works were loaned and exhibitions held at Gallerie d'Italia to showcase the wealth of the Group's collection with thematic readings and critical analysis for different research possibilities.

Partnerships with universities and centres of excellence for scientific research continued, to recover, safeguard, protect and value archaeological, historical and artistic heritage. Grants were given for young graduates to benefit from significant opportunities to develop professional expertise in the field of cultural assets.

The exhibition on Francesco Hayez was of national importance (some 120 works were presented, with over 180,000 visitors), as well as the exhibition on Venetian landscape painting “Bellotto e Canaletto. Lo stupore e la luce” (“Bellotto and Canaletto. Wonder and light”), with some 100 works displayed at the Gallerie d’Italia - Piazza Scala, Milan.

The seventeenth edition of “Restituzioni”, the project which has been running since 1989 for the recovery, protection and promotion of Italy's artistic heritage, presented the results of restoration works to the public at large, with a final exhibition held for the first time in Milan “La Bellezza ritrovata. Caravaggio, Rubens, Perugino, Lotto e altri 140 capolavori restaurati” (“Beauty rediscovered. Caravaggio, Rubens, Perugino, Lotto and another 140 restored masterpieces”).

INITIATIVES WITH A PARTICULAR SOCIAL FOCUS

In 2016, Gallerie d'Italia – above all in Milan – proposed a number of initiatives dedicated to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups:

ProjectsCategoryDescriptionPartner organisationsMeetings and users involved
A hands-on museum Guests of Day Centres for the disabled and applicant refugees Educational activities The day centres MI (Via Treves, Casa Gabbiano) and Farsi prossimo Onlus 20 sessions
A tour of Milan's museums People affected by Alzheimer's Art therapy Fondazione Manuli Onlus 28 sessions
For other eyes People with sight disabilities Museum collections IRCCS Fondazione S. Maugeri Pavia Museo Omero di Ancona (Omero Museum, Ancona) 10 guided tours
Art: a bridge between cultures Citizens from other countries Interculture FAI and Amici del FAI 2 training sessions + 10 guided tours held by mediators
Affection - Effects of Art Subjects with psychological difficulties Training at work to access culture and wellbeing Third sector Families, Coordination of the Milan Association for Mental Health, Ala Sacco Regional Innovation Project 11 sessions

One of the many initiatives of the Gallerie di Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano in Naples benefiting vulnerable groups was the theatre workshop run by women from a socially disadvantaged area (Forcella) as a forum on inclusion.

The “Art and Memory” project continued at the Gallerie di Palazzo Leoni Montanari di Vicenza, with a programme of weekly events for guests at residential and day centres for the elderly, conceived to promote intergenerational engagement. Another cultural event involved people affected by Parkinson's in an activity combining art, music and contemporary dance, focussing on the health impact of dance on the neurological system of sufferers of this disease. The “Music beyond barriers” project was held at special venues: at the city's prison, in hospital oncological units and at residential homes for the elderly.

HISTORICAL ARCHIVES

The fundamental objective of the Historical Archives is to increase accessibility to the archives records – including special photographic, iconographic and multimedia sections – by increasing the number of inventoried data and digitalised documents (hundreds of thousands of pages available online). Digitalisation has concerned particularly valuable documentary sources and key documents (minutes of Board Meetings) from the bank's archives.

Guided tours open to the public, lessons for university students and professional seminars have increased steadily. The involvement of universities has continued, through the funding of research projects that offer younger researchers from different areas the chance to carry out scientific research using sources in the Historical Archives.

Activities to protect the archives continued, saving and obtaining documentary sources at risk of being lost and increasing work to restore existing documents.

Management of the iconographic and museum collections was consolidated considerably during the year.

EDITORIAL AND MUSIC EVENTS

Editorial and music events in 2016 underscored Intesa Sanpaolo's commitment to sharing and using cultural assets with the public, to disseminate knowledge and promote literary heritage and learning for young people.

On the editorial front, the multimedia Vox Imago series on opera continued. Historical/architectural guides on the Group's historical sites were made available, as well as the series Milan's Museums and Galleries (a scientific catalogue of the city's artistic heritage produced by young researchers).

Music events covered various genres, from ancient to classical and contemporary music, in partnership with acclaimed, innovative music organisations. A series of free concerts was held for the public at venues made available by the local authorities. As regards education, numerous courses were organised for disabled children and teenagers and study meetings open to the public.